Silent Dust
The speaker proclaims, “If I should die and leave you/Be not like the others, quick undone/Who keep long vigils by the silent/dust and weep.” The ‘silent dust’ denotes the unresponsive corpse that would not recognize the lamentation. Accordingly, stretched dirges would be inconsequential to the corpse’s unresponsiveness as it would not revivify him/her.
Clouds - “The Fatal Sisters: An Ode”
Thomas Gray declares, “Clouds of carnage blot the sun.” The obstructing clouds embody the stumbling blocks that sponsor fatalism. The clouds hamper the sun from flickering light of optimism to the mortal beings.
Iron Scourge - “Hymn to Adversity”
The ‘iron scourge’ signifies the gigantic agony that springs from adversity. Thomas Gray asserts, “Thou tamer of the human breast,/Whose iron scourge and tort'ring hour.” Adversity pacifies the human heart due to its brutalizing repercussions. The human heart submits to the imperious, excruciating adversity.
Lamb - “Epitaph On A Child”
Thomas Gray writes, “A gentler lamb n'er sported on the plain.” The lamb indicates the deceased child’s remarkable gentleness. The child’s unsported plainness conjectures that the child was irreproachable. The sports signify quintessential,humanistic defects.
